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Just 10 years ago, it was only the non-Christians who were asking if the
Bible was truly unique, but now we've got many professing Christians
within the Emergent Church Movement who are asking, "Why should anyone
believe the Bible?" The reason is because they deny the authority of
God's Word. They say that truth is subjective, it is relative, and
anyone's truth is just as valid as another person's truth. How would you
respond to these misguided comments? We are hearing them more and more
as this movement is invading the Church of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is what God says, religion is what man says God says. I am
really tired of people listening to what man says God says. We need to
direct people back to the source for truth — the Word of God. So, when a
person looks out on all the religious books that there are, we ask,
"What religious book is the best authority for truth?"
The world is picking up many different religious books. I want to share
with you what I believe are ten ways that the Bible stands alone, that
the Bible is unique when it comes to all the religious books of the
world.
1. Divine Origin
The first way that the Bible is unique is in its divine origin. The
authors claim that their words were inspired by God. We see that in 2
Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed..." Keep in mind that it is
the Word of God that is inspired, not the writers.
And so, when you read
the Bible, you are reading one voice. It is the voice of God. In fact,
the authors even claimed that they spoke for God. The phrase, "thus says
the Lord" occurs almost 500 times throughout Scripture. With these
claims we would expect then that the Bible would meet or exceed the
highest standards for accuracy.
2. Unique in Unity and Harmony
God commissioned 40 different authors from all walks of life, over a
period of 1500 years on three continents to write the 66 books of the
Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the writers are united in truth to
reveal a complex drama about God's redemption of man from eternity past
to eternity future. Think just how incredible this is! Here you have
these 40 men separated by 1500 years all agreeing in unity and harmony
on what the word of God is.
3. Popularity and Influence
The Bible is the most circulated book in history. It has been read and
studied and quoted by more people than any other book.
No other book has
impacted society and culture so impressively or has changed lives so
dramatically.
4. Reliability of Transmission
A shepherd made the greatest discovery of manuscripts in history in 1948
near the Dead Sea. Complete manuscripts such as Isaiah, the Psalms and
Deuteronomy were copied over 2,000 years ago and found in these caves
near the Dead Sea. These ancient manuscripts are essentially the same as
our modern copies. This proves that they were transmitted over the years
with extraordinary precision.
5. Indestructibility
The Bible has withstood intense scrutiny by thousands of skeptics and
survived continuous attacks by emperors, kings and dictators.
They all
failed in their attempts to silence the message. God's Word will stand
forever! We know that heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word
will stand forever.
6. Message of Salvation
Did you know that the Bible is also unique in its message of salvation?
The Bible proclaims salvation is offered as a free gift of God's grace
through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. All other religious books
declare that man must merit salvation through works, religious rituals,
and/or law keeping. No other religion offers the Savior. Christianity
stands alone.
7. Historical and Geographical Accuracy
Archeologists continue to unearth evidence of ancient people, places and
cultures that are all described in the Bible. The descriptions have
always proven to be completely reliable and accurate.
8. Painfully Honest
The Bible is unique in that it is painfully honest in the accounts of
its heroes. The Bible shows that Jacob, one of the fathers of God's
chosen people, was a deceiver. It shows Moses, the Lawgiver, as a
murderer. It shows David, Israel's most loved king and spiritual leader,
as an adulterer. It shows Paul, who wrote over half the New Testament,
as the worst of sinners. And, it shows Peter as a betrayer of the Lord
Jesus Christ. This is another indication that the Bible is inspired.
You
look at any other books written by authors and all they do is boast in
their accomplishments and they hide their shameful and sinful
activities.
9. Scientific Accuracy
Scientific references about the physical universe recorded in the Bible
thousands of years ago were not discovered until modern times using
modern technology. The God who created the universe and set in motion
the laws that govern our world is the same God who inspired the writers
of the Bible to record these fascinating mysteries. The Christian faith
is not a blind faith. It is based on verifiable evidence.
10. Bible Prophecy
The last and maybe the most compelling reason for the Bible being unique
is its Bible prophecy. It is prophetic in the sense that over 30% of the
Bible actually contains scriptures predicting future events. The Bible
contains over 1,800 prophecies that foretell specific details about the
Messiah, about Israel, about individual nations and certain cities. As
prophecy is being fulfilled, it is clear evidence that the Bible was
inspired by a sovereign God who controls all things.
The author of the Bible is indeed the God of Wonders who knows the end
from the beginning, and we should pay close attention to what He has
revealed in His truly unique Word.